Portable cigarette lighter with an electro-magnetic generator

ABSTRACT

A cigarette lighter has a magnetic circuit in which the movement of an armature produces a spark in a coupled high voltage coil, the coil being of the type wound by the process known as pilgrim step process.

United States Patent [191 Coharg et a1.

[ 1 Tully 2, 119741 1 PORTABLE CIGARETTE LIGHTER AN ELECTROMAGNETIC GENERATOR [75] Inventors: Claus-Christian Cobarg, Steinbach,

Taunus; Gerhard Steuernagel, Darmstadt, Eberstadt, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany 22 Filed: .1uly30,1973 21 App1.No.:383,806

Related! US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 102,218, Dec. 28, 1970, abandoned, Continuation of Ser. No. 790,058, Jan. 9, 1969, abandoned.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,283,280 11/1966 Fischer 336/187 3,369,157 2/1968 Remy 317/81 X 3,424,950 1/1969 Halm 317/93 3,444,435 I 5/1969 Halm 317/81 3,458,765 7/1969 Schindler 317/81 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 353,454 5/1961 Switzerland 317/81 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Booklet for Radiotechnology B. A. Smyrenyna, USSR, Moscow, 1950, pg. 68.

Primary Examiner-Volodymyr Y. Mayewsky Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ernest F. Marmorek [57] ABSTRACT A cigarette lighter has a magnetic circuit in which the movement of an armature produces a spark in a coupled high voltage coil, the coil being of the type wound by the process known as pilgrim step process.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures PRIMARY 5ECONDAQI vvmome WWD'NG HOUSNG u ELECTQODE 5 FUEL TANK M PERMANENT 4 FUEL VALVE MAGNET CQCUT l 2 MOVABLE l2 ELECTRODE TRANSFORMER AQMATUQE SPOOL Pmmam 2 I914 3522.395

PRWIADY ECONDAQY W\ND\NG WINDING HOUSING H ELECT QODE 5 FUEL TANK M PERMANENT MAGNET CHQCUW 4 FUEL VALVE 2 MOVABLE ELECTRODE TDANSFORMEQ ADMATUQE SPOOL PORTABLE CIGARETTE LIGHTER WITH AN ELECTED-MAGNETIC GENERATGR This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. l02,2l8, filed Dec. 28, 1970, now abandoned, which, in turn, was a continuation of Ser. No. 790,058, filed Jan. 9, 1969, now abandoned.

The present invention relates generally to cigarette lighters and relates more particularly to cigarette lighters having magneto-mechanical spark producing means therein.

Electro-magnetically produced high voltage sparks have long been used for the ignition of combustible mixtures. In such devices a permanent magnetic circuit is either closed or opened by an armature, and the resulting change of the magnetic field induces a high voltage pulse in a coil coupled into the magnetic field, which in turn produces the sparks.

As the sparks contain high frequency components, the stray capacitances accompanying the process should be kept low, in order to avoid the dissipation of energy from the produced spark. This is true particuarly in cases where the housing of the lighter surrounding the coil is disposed very closely with respect to the coil. In such cases it is of utmost importance that the capacitances associated with the housing should be kept as low as possible.

The distance between the coil and the housing is especially small in pocket cigarette lighters, the overall dimensions of which should generally be kept small. The magnetic circuit in the pocket cigarette lighters should be compact and near to miniature dimensions because of space considerations. This fact necessarily results in a small spark output. ln such a case an additional loss of the spark output through stray capacitances might be decisive for the question whether a magnetic ignition system should be used at all. For all practical purposes, a magnetic system for pocket size cigarette lighters has previously not been found.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electro-magnetically operable pocket size cigarette lighter in which the stray capacitances are kept at a minimum.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically referred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claim hereof.

ln accordance with the invention, a pocket size cigarette lighter is provided that has a magnetomechanically operable sprak 'producing means, wherein the associated coil producing the spark is wound by the known pilgrim step process in order to reduce the stray capacitances of the system. A pilgrim step would coil has a plurality of superposed winding rows wherein each winding is disposed in a different row as compared to the preceding winding.

Such a system has considerable advantages.

A coil wound in the known pilgrim step process has considerable advantages over the known cylindrical spools or coils in that it is lighter, is more solid and more compact in size and, at the same time, the capacitance of such spool resulting with the surrounding housing is much smaller than in the case of cylindrical spools.

In accordance with the invention it becomes possible that, while the electro-mechanical output remains unchanged in the case of small size lighters, the distance between the spool and the housing can be reduced which, in turn, reduces the overall size of the apparatus. These advantages were heretofore unknown and unavailable in magneto-mechanical lighters, especially in pocket size lighters.

The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the lighter and FIG. 2 shows the winding order for a pilgrim step wound coil.

With reference to FIG. 1 it is seen that the cigarette lighter is provided with a spool 1 that is coupled to a permanent magnetic circuit M that comprises a movable armature 2. These circuits are placed in a housing G. Should the armature 2 undergo a quick change in its position, then the resulting change of the magnetic field induces in the spool l a high voltage pulse which, in turn, produces an electric spark across electrodes ll and 12. When fuel flows from a tank 3 through a valve 4 which is actuated upon the movement of the armature 2, the fluid will be ignited by the sparks produced as above described. As pointed out previously, the spool l is wound in the known pilgrim step winding process in order to reduce the resulting stray capacitances within the system and to make the spool lighter more compact and smaller in size.

While the invention has been described in connection with only one specific embodiment, it will be readily apparent that numerous modifications thereof may readily be made. It is, therefore, intended by the appended claim to cover all such modifications and variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A small size pocket lighter, for producing an electric spark by electric and electro-mechanical means, comprising in combination,

a housing,

a magnetic circuit including a permanent magnet disposed in said housing and being operable for generating an electromagnetical field,

movable armature means in said housing operable for effecting a change in said field when moved in relation to the permanent magnet,

a coil disposed in said housing and being coupled to said magnetic circuit and being operable for producing a high voltage pulse upon the occurrence of said change in said field,

spark electrode means electrically connected to said coil for producing an electric spark upon the appearance of said high voltage pulse,

said coil being a pilgrim step wound coil including a plurality of superposed winding rows wherein each successive winding being disposed in a different row as compared to the preceding winding, whereby the size of the coil being kept small and the distance between the coil and the housing being reduced thereby reducing the overall size of the housing and therewith of the entire lighter.

* =l= =l l= 

1. A small size pocket lighter, for producing an electric spark by electric and electro-mechanical means, comprising in combination, a housing, a magnetic circuit including a permanent magnet disposed in said housing and being operable for generating an electromagnetical field, movable armature means in said housing operable for effecting a change in said field when moved in relation to the permanent magnet, a coil disposed in said housing and being coupled to said magnetic circuit and being operable for producing a high voltage pulse upon the occurrence of said change in said field, spark electrode means electrically connected to said coil for producing an electric spark upon the appearance of said high voltage pulse, said coil being a pilgrim step wound coil including a plurality of superposed winding rows wherein each successive winding being disposed in a different row as compared to the preceding winding, whereby the size of the coil being kept small and the distance between the coil and the housing being reduced thereby reducing the overall size of the housing and therewith of the entire lighter. 